Capsized
by Blaze the Horizon
Summary: Yugi and friends go on a cruise to Hawaii. But the ship sinks and they are hurled into a different demension. This time, it is not only their world's fate that is at stake. Polarship-centric with bits of Peach, Ardentshipping 'n WillxLyra. HDM Crossover
1. Chapter 1

YGO Story 

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh. Duh. And I don't the Girl Scout joke; my kid brother does.

A/N: This is a short chapter. I promise the next one will be longer.

Ch 1

"Hey guys! We're going to Hawaii!" Yugi Moto shouted to his friends.

"No way man!" yelled Tristan Taylor to the shorter, tri-colored hair boy.

"Yes way!" Yugi said to the darker haired male.

"Nuh-uh, you're lying."

"Uh-_huh_," said Yugi, now getting annoyed.

"You're so full of-" but he was cut off by Joey Wheeler, a boy about 18, with blond hair and bright amber eyes that normally looked very mischievous, but now. " Look," he said angrily in a sort of Brooklyn accent (A/N: How did he get it anyway? No one else in his family talks like that and he's never been in America, except in the 4th season. Oh well, back to the ficcie!)

Okay, so, the guys are still going at it.

Tristan: I still say he's lying.

Joey: When have we ever lied to each other?

Tristan: (Sarcastic) Oh, well let's see- there was that times you skipped school to-

Joey: Shut up! I told ya to keep quiet about that!

Yugi: Hey I thought you stayed out 'cause you were sick…Oooh, Joey, I'm telling your mommy on you Joey!

Joey: (has freaked out/confused look on face) Uh, you don't even know her number.

Yugi: Damnit, he's right! Curses! Wait a minute; I can just find it in the phonebook. Hah, here it is- 733-321-4474. Hello? Mrs. Wheeler? This is Yugi. I just wanted to tell you that Joey skipped skipped school a few days ago.

Mrs. Wheeler: I don't have any children by that name.

Yugi: Yes you do. (to Joey) I don't think she understands me. Here you talk to her.

Joey: Hey, Ma do me a favor ok? Put you're freakin hearin aid in!

Mrs. Wheeler: Alright, but you don't have to shout dear.

Joey: Sorry. Is Serenity there?

Mrs. Wheeler: Of course. Would you like to talk to her, Joseph?

Joey: Yeah.

Mrs. W: Hold on. Here you go. Love you, bye.

Joey: Bye. Hey sis how are ya?

Serenity: I'm fine. I miss you; it seems like forever since we've seen each other.

Joey: I know. Say how would you like to come with rest of the gang on a cruise to Hawaii?

Serenity: I'd love to. When should I start packing?

Joey: Well, the ship leaves tomorrow so-

Serenity: I'm on it! Oh, almost forgot, love you.

Joey: Me too.

Serenity: Oh come on say it. Chicken.

Joey: Ok, I love you too. There, ya happy now?

Serenity: Yep. See you tomorrow.

Joey: Yeah. Bye.


	2. Follow Through

A/n: Sorry the last chap was so short. I promise the next few will be longer.

PS: the dialogue is gonna change in the next chapter: the dialogue will be written in regular form ("")/((authors note))

Ch 2

Everybody went home to pack for the trip. A certain dumb blonde, however, wasn't having much luck with his suitcase. Try as he might, poor Joey just couldn't get the damn thing closed.

Joey: Oh no, you are gonna shut and you are gonna stay shut (jumps on suitcase)

Suitcase: (Pops open hurling Joey across the room)

All of the clothes were now scattered everywhere. Before he could repack, the phone rang. He nearly tripped over the pile of clothes on his floor as he went to answer it.

Joey: We don't want any Girl Scout cookies!

Tristan: It's me dude. What the heck ate you talking about?

Joey: Sorry, your number came up as Nancy Winters. That's the kid who keeps tryin ta sell me cookies. Why are you over there anyway?

Tristan: Do you remember Ken from school? Well, I'm at his house. I'm helping them count up the total price for the boxes of cookies they've sold.

Joey: Wow, I gotta say I really admire ya Tristan. There's no way I could do somethin' like that.

Tristan: Not even for a free box of cookies?

Joey: Did you say cookies? Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah!

Tristan: Whoa, down boy! I'll bring some in the morning when I come to pick you up. Mint or peanut butter?

Joey: Peanut butter definitely! Argh! Close Damnit!

Tristan: What's the matter?

Joey: This stupid suitcase has so much stuff in it that it won't close.

Tristan: Why don't you just use two smaller ones?

Joey: Oh yeah, why didn't I think of that?

Tristan: Because you're an idiot.

Joey: No! Your supposed ta say, " Because it's suicide." Ya know, the line from that movie with the bugs in it? ((DON'T ASK!))

Tristan: Uh, Joey, I think you've been watchin just a little too much TV… Well, anyway, see ya at seven- bright 'n early.

Joey: (groans) Why me?

Joey Wheeler was given a very rude awakening at 7:00a.m. BANG! BANG BANGBANG!

Joey: All right already! I'm comin.

Tristan: I brought a little something extra with me.

Joey: (opens door) wh-

Serenity: Joey!

Suddenly he looked down to see a long mane of chestnut hair.

Joey: Hi sis!

He hugged her for a moment, and then held her at arms length.

"Wow, it looks like ya got a little taller since the last time I saw ya." Said Joey with a huge grin on his face. All of a sudden he turned to Tristan " Ok so where are my cookies?" Tristan handed over two boxes of Girl Scout cookies. Joey ate half of a box before offering anyone else one. Once the car was loaded up, they drove in Tristan's new Honda Civic to the harbor area((Get it? His Japanese name is Honda and he's driving a Honda… Oh well I thought it was kinda funny))

They looked around for their friends for about fifteen minutes. Finally they spotted them at a snack bar. Joey called out to Yugi, "Hey guys!"

"Hey Joey, come on over guys!"

They started toward their friends, but didn't get very far when suddenly a female voice screamed "Gotcha!" and jumped on Joey from behind. The weight nearly made him fall backwards on top of her. "Get offa me ya crazy harpy!" he yelped. He turned to see who it was and saw a pair of violet eyes gazing back at him. Mai Valentines eyes.

" Hmm, I can't decide if I should take that as a compliment or not," she said with a thoughtful smile. Mai jumped off of Joey. " So don't I get a little hug?" She asked.

" What, ya mean after all that ya want me ta _hug _you," Joey shot back at her incredulously. He looked at her with a half annoyed half amused expression before pulling her close with one arm and allowing her to wrap her arms around his neck.

" Miss me?" she asked in a whisper.

"Well, I did but now that you're here I'm really startin' ta wish ya weren't."

Mai gave him a look somewhere between looking like she was about to either cry or slap him; he hoped neither. When he saw that she looked hurt, he hastily tried to cover for his insensitivity.

"Of course I missed ya, Mai. Well, uh, I mean-" he stammered.

" It's ok," Mai said. Then she impulsively kissed him on the cheek. Both of them turned just slightly red in the face from the unexpected move. Within a few seconds they were both composed again. They started to walk towards the dock as a group. Mai told them about her staying in a town near Domino.

" It's a quaint little town. I just wanted to take a break from dueling for a little while. After all that happened with Dartz…" Mai's face suddenly paled and she closed her eyes and began to tremble. Memories, awful memories and visions swirled and darkness overcame her as she almost sank to her knees. Joey caught her in the crook of his arm before she fell to the ground. He held her close to him and stroked her golden hair. Mai whimpered like a small child and instinctively pressed herself closer to Joey.

The nightmares were unreal, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to stop them…

FLASHBACKS

Mai screamed as the emerald light of the Orichalcos enveloped him. Tears pored from her eyes.' No, not Joey, please no, not him…' she thought in anguish. He had just risked everything to save her. How could she have been so cruel to him? Holding him in her arms, she wanted nothing more than for him to be safe. Suddenly he pushed her out of the Seal.

" Joey!" she screamed in agony as she watched him fall to the ground. It was all her fault. Joey wasn't supposed to be weak, but she had made him fight. Knowing he'd had nearly had all of his strength drained in the previous duel, she had still refused to let him rest. He could have easily beaten her in a fair fight if he had wanted to, but he had wanted to save her. After all he had done for her, this was how she repaid him? It was too much.

" JOEY! Joey… Joey…….."

END FLASHBACK

"Mai! Please wake up." She woke up in Joey's arms, surrounded by a crowd of people, including someone who looked like a doctor or nurse.

" Is she alright, sir?" the doctor asked Joey as Mai tried to sit up, but failed and sank back into his arms. She just wanted them all to go away. Everything was fine, why were they all staring at her?

" I'm fine." She told the doctor, but he refused to leave until he checked her over.

"Have you been taking any medications?"

"No."

"Any significant head injuries in the past year or so?"

"No." After he finished asking all the questions he needed to, he began to check her pulse and other things. Mai jerked herself away from the doctor. 'Why is she all of a sudden so afraid to be touched by people?' Joey thought. ' She's always been kinda non emotional, but nothing like this… Mai was never scared of having attention.' The crowd was getting to close for comfort in Tristan's opinion.

" Hey! The lady said she's fine, so back off!" Slowly the crowd dissipated, and the doctor left.

" Are you sure your alright, Mai?" Yugi asked her in a concerned tone.

" You really freaked us out for a minute there." Said Tea.

Mai nodded and rested her head on Joey's chest. "Just tired." She said in a quiet voice that was very unlike her.

Joey helped her to stand up. Mai's legs were still too weak to hardly move, much less walk. "Here, let me carry ya, Mai," Joey said.

" I dunno…"

" C'mon, just for a little while, until ya feel better." So she allowed Joey to scoop her up in his arms. She relaxed and almost instantly fell asleep. She seemed to have lost weight. Joey recalled when Jean Claude Magnum had tried to kidnap her after Mai had beaten him in a Battle City duel. She had fallen and caught herself on a flagpole, and he had run after her and he caught her. The impact had knocked him unconscious, though.

"She has gotten a little thinner. I was thinking the same thing." Yugi told him worriedly.

" I hope nothing she hasn't been doing something like starving herself," said Tea "Do you really think Mai would do something like that?" she asked.

Tristan answered, " You never know. Mai's a pretty hurtful person. I wouldn't be surprised if she was doing this to herself as punishment for what she did to you, Joey."

Joey's brown eyes scanned Mai's body. He found a spot just below her ear where there was a large bruise. No one would know, because her hair covered the area, and the doctor hadn't been able to look at her properly. Turning to the rest of his friends, he spoke in a hushed tone, " I don't think she did this to herself, Tristan. I think someone's been hurting her."

"Are you sure?" Asked Tea, who looked very wide eyed.

"I'm almost willin' ta bet on it; and you know Joey Wheeler doesn't lose bets," he said with a bitter sureness in his voice. " That bruise looks like one a human hand would make. I should know, I've been beat up and beaten up more than anyone here except Tristan. I'll make whoever did this to her pay." He looked down at Mai.

" No woman deserves this, especially not someone like Mai; she's been through enough."

**Dramatic sigh There, the 2nd chappie is FINALLY up. This one is definitely better than the 1st, in my opinion. BTW I don't think I'll be writing any Tea/Yugi or Tristan/Serenity. I haven't decided yet though, so if u like my story and you want me to write romance for people other than Joey/Mai, REVIEW. I will try my best to write T/Y and T/S if I get at least 8 reviews on this story. (Hint-hint)**


	3. I'll Be

**Yugioh is owned by Kazuki Takahashi **

**Chapter 3**

**I'll be your cryin' shoulder **

**I'll be love's suicide **

**I'll be better when I'm older **

**I'll be the greatest fan of your life **

"So what d'you think happened to Mai?" asked Yugi.

"I dunno," replied Joey, "I guess I'll talk to her when she wakes up. He gazed down at the said female in his arms. Suddenly she began to stir, after several minutes of being asleep. Her violet eyes locked on to his amber ones and then blinked.

"I think I can walk by myself now." Mai spoke in a soft tone, as if unsure to whether or not she really could stand on her own. Joey set her down on her feet. He held her up for a moment while she regained her balance. Moments later, she was walking beside the rest of the group, looking none the worse for wear.

Serenity looked at her and smiled gently. "Are you sure you're okay Mai? You worried us, you know that?" Mai scoffed, "Of course I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I can take care of myself." It was plain to see that she was back to her old self.

"So, Mai, ready to soak up some sun?" Tea grinned at her, knowing full well Mai Valentine never passed up an opportunity to make herself better looking than she already knew she was. "You know it!" exclaimed Mai with a laugh. She then proceeded to converse with Tea on the ins and outs of getting a good tan; giving her pointers and the like. Suddenly she spotted Joey and excused herself from Tea.

His head was cast down, but when she neared him his face lightened considerably. "Thank you. You know, for…-"Mai blushed. Joey noticed that she looked almost sheepish. Here were two of the easiest words to say on the face of the earth, and yet he knew that for Mai, saying them was one of the most difficult things she could ever face. He was proud of her; proud that she'd actually shown a bit of emotion. He knew exactly why she was thanking him, so he simply said "You're welcome." He wasn't going to push her any further.

Joey was sure of what he needed to do, just not of how to do it. He touched her arm to stop her; holding her back from the rest of the group. She stopped and looked at him with a bewildered look. Tristan tried to call for them but, suddenly, Tea grabbed his ear. "Come _on_ Tristan. Let them work things out on their own!" she hissed. Defeated, he fell in step with Serenity, leaving the couple behind.

"What is it Joey?" Mai still couldn't seem to figure out why Joey had held her back. "Mai, tell me the truth- Has someone been hurting you?" He reached for her hand.

"How do you mean?" Mai was looking afraid now, though of what Joey wasn't so certain.

"You know what I mean Mai. Come on, you can tell me anything, y'know that."

Mai turned her head away from him but still held on to his hand.

She whispered in a shaky voice- he could tell she was holding tears back-, "I-I just can't talk about it right now, Joey. I just can't." The fact that she refused to share her fears with him frustrated him to no end.

"Damnit Mai! This is why things happened back in America; you were too full of pride to admit you were scared!" "Joey, I didn't mean it like that…!" Mai said these words on a near-sob, "I'm sorry. I didn't-" He watched her shoulders shake, and then he couldn't stand it anymore. Without thinking he grabbed her shoulders and then wrapped his arms around her protectively, so that he was hugging her backwards. Joey buried his face in the crook of her neck and pressed his lips there. Tears were already forming in his eyes now.

"Mai, Mai! Shhhh, 's okay Mai, take it easy." She turned in his arms, wrapping her arms around his back, and then sobbed whole-heartedly into his shoulder.

Joey rested his head on top Mai's head and stroked her hair gently. "Shhhh. C'mon Mai, I didn't mean to hurt you, I swear it." Joey's voice had become ragged from trying to force back tears that were threatening to spill over into her hair. "I never want to hurt you, Mai, you _know _that I just wanted you to know that I'll always be here for you. I'll do anything you want, just please stop crying!" Mai suddenly looked up and met his eyes.

"You promise?" she asked. She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

"I _swear _it." Joey smiled at her, at the fact that she had dried her tears. He brushed tears from his own; couldn't let her see him like that. "I'll be there for you Mai. And I'll be anything you want me to be for you." They both started walking towards the docks.

"Hey, race you to the others, eh?" asked Joey mischievously. Mai laughed at him and winked "Oh, your on! I'm gonna cream you!" She ran ahead of him and he let her win, but was a close second behind her.

"So, you two lovebirds get everything straight?" mocked Tristan. Serenity stood by his side; something of which Joey seemed to be becoming acutely aware of.

"Lovebirds! As if." Mai rolled her eyes, but not in her usual derisive way.

Tea decided to step in. She raised an eyebrow at Tristan "You should really talk, Tristan. Look at you and Serenity. I think you're just jealous that they actually have something going for them when you don't." He looked taken aback by the statement

"That's not what I meant. I mean- argh."

Tristan notice Joey was about to open his mouth to laugh, but Mai slapped him on in the back of the head. "Oww. Whajadodatfor? Sheeesh" Then Tristan realized that Joey had recovered a bit more quickly from her blow than usual. He was pretending to be hurt as a ploy to convince them nothing had happened between the two.

"Oh, get over it, you knucklehead." Mai winked at Joey and Tristan saw it.

'Should've guessed; trust those two to deny that they have feelings for each other. They're two of the most stubborn people I know,' thought Tristan. He chuckled to himself and looked at Mai and Joey in mock exasperation. He answered his own question from earlier: 'I think I'll take that as a big fat YES.'


	4. Begining of the End

In the past few minutes since Joey and Mai had come back, Tristan's attention had turned somewhere else: to an auburn haired girl. Serenity, Joey's little sister. She had grown a bit taller since he last saw her and he also noticed she her hair seemed more wavy than usual. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. But he'd have to. Joey was only a few feet away. There was no telling _what_ he would do to him if he caught Tristan staring at his sister. Resignedly, Tristan drew himself away from her. _'Later. I'll talk to her later.'_

As the gang was nearing the ship, Yugi suddenly remembered that they should get there tickets out. "Let's see if we'll be near one another." Yugi looked at his ticket and then up at Mai when he heard her scream. "There is NO WAY I'm sharing a room with Mr. Pig over here. Absolutely no possible way this could happen! I signed up for a private room..." Mai huffed in furry.

"Yeah, well if it makes ya feel any better, I didn't wanna share a room with you either. So THERE!" Joey retorted. Yugi didn't have a good feeling as to where this was going. He quickly walked over to Joey and, jerking him by the collar of his jacket, yanked him away. He looked over to see Serenity taking Mai by the hand. "Joey come on. You wonder how she always get's the better of you, man. _This_ is how she does it. You let her!" Tristan hissed. Joey looked down at the ground. "I know, I know. I just can't help myself sometimes. She just hit's right on my last nerve, I swear." He looked over at Mai. "Maybe I should apologize, eh?"

"Why does he do this to me? Why me? I have never met a more stubborn, dirty, no-good jerk of a man...!" Serenity had to cover her mouth to keep from giggling at Mai's outburts. "Oh, come on. He isn't that bad." Tea tried reasoning with her. "Not that _bad?_ He is-arrrgh! '_I know someone else who's stubborn,'_ Tea thought. She was about to tell Mai this when she saw Joey coming over to them. "What do you want now?" Mai backed away from him.

"Hey, look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, Mai. You're one of my best friends." Mai looked at him for a moment. "I'm...sorry too. I guess. You're not really a pig. At least not all the time," she sneered.Then, "Ugh. I was _kidding._" when he gave her an exasperated look. Tentatively, he opened his arms in a gesture of surrender.To his surprise, Mai stepped foward and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I forgive you," He told her. Mai only nodded and then stepped away from him. "We need to board the ship soon or else we'll be late."

XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD

Yugi sat on his bed in his cabin. He reminisced on the first time he'd been on a ship. The first Duel Monsters tournament he'd been invited to. This was almost exactly like last time except...there was no tournament and...no Pharaoh either. Atem had gone to the afterlife when Yugi defeated him. And he wondered, as he nearly did everyday:_Why? Why did he win the duel? Why did he make Yami go away?_ But he never found his answer. Never. "Ah well. I suppose I should check to see if Joey and Mai have killed each other yet."

The first thing she'd realized when she'd come onto the _USS Meredithia _was that it was BIG. Serenity gaped in awe at the staircase. It rivaled the _Titanic's _with it's gorgeous iron and marble railing engraved with some of the most extravagent depictions of angels. The chandeliers hanging from the ceiling looked as if they were made of solid gold and diamonds. Which they probably were, now that you mentioned it. Even the floor was perfectly tiled. "Wow. This reminds me of when we were on the boat that took us to Duelist Kingdom." Joey sighed. "Man, those are some far-away memories." Serenity gave a wistful sigh. "I wish I could have been there with you. We would've had so much fun, I bet." Joey put his arm around her and smiled. "Yeah but it was nowhere near as nice as this ship. The way I see it, you got it a hell of a lot better than we did." His eyes spotted the buffet tables. "Whadaya say we go get some grub, eh?" Serenity only rolled her eyes at him. "No thanks. You go ahead. I think I'm going to go check out the rest of the ship. See you later, Joey," she said as she walked in the direction of the staircase. But Joey didn't pay her a bit of attention. The only thing he was thinking of right now was how scrumptious that sirloin steak looked.

XDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXDXD

"Captain, maybe you should have a look at this..." He stared transfixed at the screen before him.

"What is it Thompson?"

"Something seems to be swimming around fifty meters below the ship, sir. It's gigantic and the computer can't identify it. And it's coming closer."

The captain stood there. "Do you think the ship is...?" he couldn't even finish his thoughts. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"I'm afraid it looks like the ship _is_ going to be hit, Captain." The crew member looked at him, a blank look on his face. "Should I alert the passengers?" Captain Harold couldn't even respond. How could his ship possibly be..._sinking_?

**A/N: Yeah. Cliffhanger. Bet ya can't guess what happens next chap.**


	5. Dead Wrong

I'M BAAAAAACK FOLKS!! Here's the dillio:

Thanks a billion to the reviewers. I lubs you guys!

I'm starting to plan out the next few chapters, so things are gonna start happenin' soon. This chap just gives the gang a little** nudge** into the madness that'll be sure to ensue. H'ohyeah!

Sorry if Tea, Yugi, Tristan or Serenity are OOC or don't get enough..."screentime"- I'm not very good with those characters but I'm honestly trying here.

Disc: If I owned YuGiOh, Mai 'n Joey would've been married with kids. So obviously I don't.

Title for this chappie is "Dead Wrong"-The Fray (psst! I don't own that either!)

-----------------

Tea found Yugi in his cabin, sitting on a bed with the Puzzle in his hands. He didn't look up to acknowledge her so she came to the bed and settled herself beside him. "I miss him, Tea. Being on this ship reminds me of our first journey to Duelist Kingdom. We hadn't even begun to work together yet, not until halfway through the tournament. But it's impossible for me to believe that Atem's only been gone for a little more than a year," Yugi said. Tea scooted closer to him, letting him rest his head on her shoulder.

"I know. I remember all of it just like it happened a few days ago. And I loved him too. I think you were the luckiest, Yugi. No matter how hard it was for you to accept his death, you were the one who got be with him most. You should be greatful for that." Yugi nodded his head against her collarbone. She felt wetness there. "You were his partner, his Aibou. Nothing's ever going to change that. Please don't sit here the whole time. Atem wouldn't have wanted that."

Yugi looked up with red, glassy eyes from crying. "How can I be as strong as he was? Sometimes I don't know if I can be myself without him."

"Yes you can. I think he knew what he was talking about when he told you 'There can only be one Yugi Muto in the world.' I think that when you figure that out, or find a way to accept it at least, then you'll be okay. And you know we're here to help you through it." Tea's finger brushed tears away from his cheeks. "I'm going to check on the others. Feel up to coming?"

"Not yet, but I'll join you all for dinner later." Yugi felt Tea give his hand a squeeze before she left the room. He sighed and brought a shirt from his suitcase to wear for dinner. He put the Millenium around his neck and pressed it to his chest. "Teach me how to be me again, Pharaoh. I can't do this on my own." But the empty pyramid was the only thing that answered . With no words, no guidance, no comfort for him.

--------------

All around Mai, passengers were in panicked disarray. The PA system blared over and over again _Please go to your muster stations immediately! This is not a drill! _Between that and the sirens, Mai didn't know how anyone could think straight. 'I'm going to find Joey and Serenity,' she thought. She pushed throught the crowd. "Hey, lady, the lifeboats are the other way," she heard a man shout. She ignored him and pushed through the thirty-odd people that were running in the opposite direction. One of them grabbed the collar of her jacket, nearly throwing her off balance. "Mai, c'mon! We've gotta go," said the familiar blond. Serenity and Tristan stood behind him. "Yuge and Tea should be there already. Their cabins were closer than ours." Mai nodded and took up a brisk pace between Joey and Tristan.

"Enjoying the trip so far, Mai?" Tristan asked her, dodging a couple with a toddler to keep up.

"Aside from the fact that I've only been here a few hours?" Mai smirked at him, "It's been just peachy," she deadpanned. Tristan laughed when he saw the look on Joey's face.

"Sarcasm just isn't your forte, Joey." He dodged a half-hearted swing to his face.

"Knock it off, _boys_." Mai said, more than a little annoyed with their brawl. Serenity shook her head before grabbing her brother by the ear. "Just because I'm your little sister and I haven't seen you in months doesn't mean I'm going to be any more lenient," she explained. "I see Yugi and Tea over there. Let's hurry so we can get the same lifeboat!" Serenity jogged to the station with the others quickly following.

Joey noticed that the lifeboats were becoming fewer. The crowd was thinning, leaving only his friends and him standing there. There was only one lifeboat left, and Joey felt lucky that they would get one to themselves. He watched as Tea climbed in, followed by Serenity, Yugi, Tristan, Mai, and lastly himself. "Uh, guys? Aren't we supposed to have someone with us?" Joey asked. Mai shrugged her shoulders and yawned.

"Who cares. I'm sure they'll figure out something's gone amiss and fix it. Even if we don't get a supervisor, the lifeboats are heated and covered, with engines. We can always sue them later."

"Still, shouldn't we be worried? I mean, it doesn't even look like they've noticed how far back we are," Tea noted, wondering if she was the only one who had seen the other boats floating farther away. "I think we should call for help. They might be too far to hear us if we wait longer." She bit her thumbnail out of nervousness. "Guys, seriously! They're getting really far-Hey! HEY! Can't you people hear us?" Joey pulled her down by the arm.

"You're gonna tip this thing if you don't sit down!" He smiled reassuringly at her, despite the fact the boats were merely small dots on the distant horizon. "Yuge," he looked his melancholy friend "Ain't there a motor on this thing?"

"I just checked. There isn't one."

"Well if that doesn't scream 'Impending DOOM!', I don't know what does." Their eyes darted to Tristan, sitting by himself and looking smug. "You all should have planned on this happening. It always does."

Mai reached into her traveling bag. "I guess it's up to me to save you nutzos from starvation once again," she sighed and pulled out her stash of food."I've got enough to sustain us for about a week. There's even bottled water and a few fruit drinks." Joey grabbed the bag out of her hands, stuck his hand in, and pulled it out after earning himself a slap from Serenity. He pouted as he handed Mai the backpack, from which Mai revealed a bag of Hershey's brand chocolate. "Maybe something sweet will help settle you, Tea." She handed chocolate bars to all except Joey.

"Eh, Mai? Aren't you forgetting someone?" Joey eyed the chocolate bars hopefully, hungrily. Then he glanced at Mai, who was smirking at him. He recognized that look. The look of a bird of prey who'd zeroed in on a little puppy and was about to go in for the kill.

"Beg for it."

"No."

"Fine by me. No begging means no goodies for Joey."

He growled. Then, low in his throat, he whimpered. "Pleeeeeaaase? With, uh...chocolate covered cherries and purple roses and diamonds on top?" She tossed him the Reese's, which he barely caught in his hands before it went overboard. Joey had only popped one peanutbutter cup into his mouth when he saw Serenity. "You don't look so good, Seren'" He scooted closer to his baby sister. Serenity was rubbing her forehead with her fingers. Her eyes were glassy and had an empty, sick look in them. "Have some chocolate-" The candy dropped fro his hand ;the boat hit a barrier of sorts. An _invisible barrier._

"OUCH! Joey, did you feel that too?" Serenity pressed against the air with her hands as if it were glass. The air didn't give beneath Tristan's fist either. Yugi and Mai suddenly pressed their hands to their temples, a pressure building building, ohRamakeitstopithurtsithurtssoMUCH, before the rest noticed the dark fog that had surrounded the raft. The sea was raging, twisting, ripping apart their small vessel. But how could the pressure of a storm press on them from all sides? Yugi felt a sharp pain in his chest and clutched his hand there. His very essence felt like it was being ripped in two. Like his spirit was being torn from his body. Hazy forms danced around him.

Tea retching, eyes closed in agony.

Mai trembling, swooned until strong arms caught her. The face was unclear to her. The arms were trembling as well, with the force of holding her up in the storm. A girl screamed, Mai didn't know who it was. Didn't know who she was, where she was.

All that she could _feel_ was one paroxysm after another of anguish. Nothing mattered except the pain. Not the arms loosening their hold, not the burn as she tried to draw breaths and only succeeded in filling her lungs with black water. She couldn't see or hear. Only pain. That was all.

But none of it mattered. Even if her dulled senses reawakened, she would feel nothing but the ache of emptiness...

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Reviews would make my day (heck, even my week!) and will result in faster updating.


	6. A Whole New World

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**Did someone order a new chapter? 'Cause here it is. It isn't long, but I cut it off where I did because I like the cliffy. Don' worry, however, the rest of it is almost written. I'll post it soon, hopefully, along with something else (depends on what story I'm in the mood to update)**"Did you here that noise, like a shattering of glass? What is that, Pan? Over there by the palm grove... It looks like a person!" The young light-haired woman in khaki shorts and park ranger blouse jogged over to the aforementioned figure, squinting against the sunlight as she neared.

Lyra approached the girl lying on the beach slowly. She was auburn-haired, nearly the color of Pantalaimon's own fur, several years younger than Lyra by the look of things. Her daemon possessed a similar red pelt, though it wasn't certainly a marten. It was sturdy, with triangular ears and a fluffy striped tail. Pan sniffed the other daemon, licked behind his ears, and then gave a squeak of mild surprise when he lifted his face. _A red panda!_ Lyra thought with a delighted grin. Ever since she had graduated from Dame Hannah's school, she had chosen to major in zoology, because she had always been interested in the many animal species around her. Her fancy had been borne of the many nights she spent in the Botanical Garden listening to the birds trilling softly to one another in melodious tunes. Of course, her life's goal still remained to become an expert alethiometrist.

"Lyra, she's waking up now. Look here," Pan said. Lyra prepared to rush forth in the event the girl mistook her daemon for a vicious wild animal. She obviously was not a denizen of Lyra's world, that much was obvious to her in the fact that they were on a secluded island and there was no ship to be found. Not to forget, red panda's didn't live in this part of the earth, nor were they legal as pets. And the sea, it was raging gray-black-lavender-blue, as tumultuous as the sky above it, yet the island was as tranquil as ever... Not that it bared any further contemplating; the angels had sealed the windows shut. All of them.

The girl made a sound of exhaustion as she moved to her knees to rest her weight on her palms. She didn't acknowledge her daemon at all. Her eyes were hazel, tinged red from the stinging salt and sand. Lyra coaxed her gently to a sitting position.

"Come now, love, that's it. Gently, not too fast."

"Where am I? I was on a cruise ship and it sank. And then a lifeboat. It sank too," She spoke in halting bursts as realization dawned slowly. "The air was made of _glass_, I remember that. I know it sounds insane, but it _was." _Lyra shook her head, offered the girl a hand.

Lyra almost started visibly at the girl's words. It wasn't possible that the windows could open again. "I'm Lyra Silvertongue, and you're on the island of Madagazkar," Lyra said, "Just so you know, I believe you when you say the air was made of glass. More importantly, it makes me think about the walls between the worlds..." She broke off, then cleared her throat. She ought to put it out of her mind. Reuniting with _him_ wasn't ever going to happen."Pardon me, I'm going on about nonsense while you are in need of help, obviously."

Serenity wasn't paying attention to Lyra but rather to the stoat-like creature that crept around her neck. Finally, she "I'm Serenity Wheeler," the girl informed her. Then, "Is that your pet?" she asked, indicating Pantalaimon.

"No, he's my daemon. His name is Pantalaimon, Pan for short. What's your daemon's name?"

"I don't think I _have _a demon, nor that I'd want one," replied Serenity. "Do other people around here have demons? I mean, I heard Madagascar was know for some pretty strange stuff. But I never thought someone possessed by a demon would be so kind." She noticed Lyra looked quite affronted at her last remark.

Lyra prepared herself to explain the physics and systematics of her world. To start, she pointed at the red panda near Serenity who was carefully grooming himself. "Yes, everyone has a daemon. Before you came here, I'd imagine your daemon was inside you. The voice in your head that argues with you, telling you to do the right thing. Here in our world, your daemon is your soul represented in the form of an animal. If your daemon is injured, or you, the other half will feel it. And if he dies, you die. You're two parts of a whole. Touching someone else's daemon is _very _improper, except in special situations. You'll know which ones they are. Lastly, most daemons are the opposite sex of their humans, although some are the same, and it doesn't mean anything about the person that scientists here can think of."

"That- that is my daemon?" Serenity reached out to touch the animal, bewildered. "What's his name?"

"Daemons don't always have a-"

Pantalaimon, interrupting his human in mid-sentence, said "Go on and ask him. We talk as well, one of our many perks." The pine marten seemed to smirk, or perhaps she was imagining that. Serenity blinked in disbelief whilst Lyra covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her giggles. Pan nodded to the daemon before Lyra could reprimand him. "Well?"

"My name is Myrdhan," he told Serenity plainly. It was as though he was utterly certain of this. His head darted lazily side to side, ears twitched idly, to prove he wasn't bothered by any of the peculiar circumstances. He lumbered toward Serenity and she scooped him up in her arms like a cat. Myrdhan reached out to sniff Pan by way of greeting. Then he turned back to his human "We should find your friends."

"Friends? There are other people like you, from your world?" Lyra asked.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "Oh, I'd almost forgotten about them. My brother Joey and his friends Tristan, Yugi, Tea and Mai. I guess we got separated in the storm. I have to find them. I hope Joey's not hurt- "

Sensing hysteria in her voice, Lyra moved to console her. "There, there. The island is large, and I doubt very much your brother could be far away, but let's hurry in case he's decided to come looking for you as well. Come along now," she walked purposely along the beach and Serenity followed, Myrr clinging to her shoulders like a fluffy, spoiled cat.

Joey surveyed the beach with disdain. He looked left. Forest. His eyes darted right. The ocean and more forest. His wet clothes were gritty with sand, the salt from the ocean still stung his eyes. He'd been here for almost an hour, stripped down to his underwear, with no sign of the others or any sort of civilization. Civilization was imperative for him at the moment, because people could offer him _food._ And help him find his friends, which went without mention.

He hadn't eaten anything for hours. As soon as he'd awoken, he'd noted there was a golden-furred mutt following him around, gazing at up at him. Probably begging for food, the scrawny animal. When he hadn't been able to rid himself of her, he'd accepted her presence with resignation. She was wiry, and long legged, probably not quite fully grown. Her coat was thin, but her tail was feathered. The dog's head came nearly to his knee, and her eyes were a warm chocolate color.

(_"Fine, but I don't have anything for you, got it?"_) Now, those liquid brown puppy eyes were breaking Joey's resolve quickly.

"What? I told you I don't have any food. If I did, I'd eat it myself before sharing it with you," he huffed.

"That's perfectly alright. I don't need sustenance anyway."

Joey leaped back in shock and disbelief, eyes wider than ever. "You...talk? OK, now this place is giving me the serious creeps." Cautiously, he knelt to offer the dog his hand to sniff, in case she was something that wanted to eat him. A normal, well fed dog such as this wouldn't, reasoned Joey. A talking dog would have even less reason. Talking dogs usually didn't eat people, which made him feel a bit better. As the dog pressed her nose against his upturned palm, Joey felt a spark of warmth flow between them. He felt her energy, her essence flowing in him, though he had no idea why or how.

"Aye!" He yelped, as he was knocked to his bottom. He scrambled backwards, away from her. The dog merely cocked her ears and ambled over to him.

Her soft brown eyes once again looked beseechingly at him. Then she promptly licked him on the cheek, catching him unawares. Some canine attempt at reassuring Joey that she was indeed a part of him, although what part exactly neither of them could grasp yet. "I want to help you. I think I'm supposed to do that," she said. Joey opened his mouth, then closed it once more. He stroked the dog on her chest.

"Yeah. I think so too. You got a name?" She shook her head and pulled her lips back in the best grin manageable. She looked so cheeky, the dog could have passed for a human, if not for her form. Joey decided right at that moment that he could definitely get to like the lanky pup; she reminded him of himself in some roundabout way.

"Alright then, first order of business for us. I don't want to call you 'Dog' forever." Joey smiled at her as she wagged her tail to signal agreement. He thought for only a moment before he found the name he felt in his heart was right. "Kahlilia. It means something like 'true friend' in some language or other. Like it?"

She barked and nearly bowled him over to doggedly lick his face.

"Gerroffme!"He shouted, but he was laughing. "Kahlilia it is then. Kahla for short. Let's go...look for something or someone," he suggested uncertainly as he gazed down the stretch of beach that went on as far as he could see. "I dunno where we are, but I'm starving, and I need to find my friends and my sister to make sure they're all not hurt" He strode to the tree with his clothes to discover that were stiff and chilled, yet dry for the most part. Quickly he pulled them on, ignoring the uncomfortable feeling of wearing cardboard. Kahlilia nuzzled his hand. "Ready?"

She barked, walked ahead to guide him like she was meant to. He walked briskly, always just behind her. They would find his friends. Then they could all figure out where the hell the ocean had cast them and why. Yes, _why_. Because Joey felt in his instincts that they had been spit up at this place for a reason. 'Apparently, the word "vacation" should be erased from my vocabulary forever, he mused, because someone doesn't think I'm allowed to have one anymore.'


	7. You Get Me

**Here's a long-overdue chapter. Unfortunately, Capsized will be put on hold afterward until I finish the prologue fic _California, _and update STH, both of which I will do whenever I get my computer back. Until then, enjoy this pointless Polarfluff. **

**Also, betareaders yesno? Tell me if you're interested.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, unless it is mine. **

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_When nobody understands  
You come and take the chance, baby  
You get me  
When none of the pieces fit  
You make sense of it  
You get me  
You look inside my wild mind  
Never knowing what you'll find  
And still I want you all the time  
Yeah, I do  
'Cause you get me_

_"You Get Me" by Michelle Branch

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_

Joey saw the figure of a woman with long wavy hair, hunched over, from more than a foot-ball field away. He picked up his pace immediately, breaking into a run, Kahla loping at his side.

"Mai! Mai!" he called to her. She turned her head as he came near, and he could see the paleness of her features, the shakiness with which she climbed to her feet. She rocked back and forth, unsteady for a moment, but then she planted her feet firmly in the sand and held her chin high in that defiant, unbreakable way of hers. Only… something was definitely wrong. Joey had seen it; he sensed something.

He stepped forward, saw her pale face and the way she strained to conceal a trembling. _Mai. She looks so weary. So tired_, he thought. Actually, she looked about to faint or be sick, one. Joey wasn't at all sure that it hadn't already happened at one point before he arrived. He noticed a shadow overhead, and squinted to see a gray eagle that soared overhead in the periwinkle sky. It had a crest of ash feathers that it kept tucked down, charcoal wings, and a curved black beak. Anyone could see it was a force to be reckoned with. Had that thing done something to hurt Mai, or had it frightened her? Well, Joey wasn't going to let anything near her if he could help it.

"Hey you, scat! Get outta here!" He yelled as he waved his arms and chased the bird, who took no notice of him but to circle around and flap a bit higher, then resume its scouting. "I said get away from her!" The eagle screeched menacingly and floated to a palm tree.

"Joey, don't," she sighed. "He's not bothering me; he says his name is Erasiel. He's been here ever since I woke up here." She avoided his gaze. Joey reached his arm out to her.

"Then what, Mai? Please tell me what's going on. Ever since we met up again, you haven't been yourself." He kept his voice steady and gentle: what he thought she needed. Never, in all the time he'd know Mai, had he seen her look this undesirably vulnerable. "You're scaring me," he whispered, moving rogue strands of damp salty hair from her face, just brushing her cheeks. Her eyes were hazy, as dark as storm clouds, with only a fraction of their usual bravado.

But true to her fighter's nature, she dismissed his concerns. "I probably just swallowed too much saltwater from the ocean. Really, if you think about it, we were tossed around for God knows how long. It's a miracle we're even alive."

Of course. That made sense. Joey felt relatively more at ease now. Her explanation was logical; he felt his worry for her being assuaged, if only a little. A very little. The feeling inside that told him she was keeping something from him, obscuring a secret, still lingered. No sooner had he taken a relaxing breath when Mai swayed. Then she seemed to crumple, in slow motion, right before his eyes in a tangle of wavy hair and lithe limbs onto the wet gray sand.

"Mai!" He rushed to her side, panicked beyond all thought or dreaming of what was happening her-- terrified that he was utterly, completely powerless to make her better or do anything whatsoever to stop it. And this time, there was no crowd, no hope of a doctor. They were alone, helpless. Joey jerked her by the shoulders, shook her. Gently at first, then increasingly rougher as his panic grew. What was happening? Why wouldn't she wake up? He put his fingers to her neck—her pulse was erratic, her breathing shallow. Could she even hear him? This was exactly like the night Marik had trapped her mind in the Shadow Realm. There was simply no way she could be relapsing, could there?

"Oh god Mai, please don't do this to me again," he was borderline hysteria now, thinking he was going to lose her, "Wake up! You have to, I can't... I won't go on without you." Joey was so preoccupied with Mai that he failed to see that the Erasiel had plummeted into the surf, just yards away, until Kahla carried him, with exquisite gentleness, to Joey. "Kahla, we don't have time for the stupid bird. Something bad is happening to Mai!" Without a second thought, he turned back to the unconscious woman in front of him.

Kahlilia shifted the raptor over, examining it. She knew it was not merely an ordinary bird. It was linked to this woman the way she was linked to Joey. After a second or two of inspection, she gave the bird a tentative lick on the back of its head, hoping to rouse it. When Erasiel didn't respond, Kahla turned back to her human and scrutinized the bedraggled-looking Mai.

"I think maybe she's sick from the heat," she nudged at Joey's hand, forcing him to pay attention to her. In a moment, a look of understanding shone on his face. He put his hand on Mai's forehead and felt the perspiration that had formed. Now that he was out of his panic -induced reverie, he could find away to get her cooled down. And she would be fine. Maybe. Probably.

"D'you think taking some of her clothes off would help?"

His daemon cocked her head, to which Joey shot back, rather defensively, "That is _not_ what I meant!" Kahlilia blinked with mock innocence. "C'mon, help a guy out here," he muttered. Before she could say anything, he had already removed her dark vest and boots, leaving her in a corset top and her trademark miniskirt. "Heat's lost from the head and feet, I remember that much from health class," he said himself, "Well, I can get some water or something, but I dunno what else there is to do."

As Mai was seemingly rousing, moaning and feebly shifting her body, he realized he didn't have to do anything yet. He was gentle when he picked her up and leaned her against a tree. "There, does that feel OK?" He asked as he helped her to lean back against the trunk.

She mumbled a sort of incoherent agreement and drifted off for few more minutes. When she was awake once more, fully this time, she focused on Joey sitting just beside her. He'd wanted to hold her, but of course he knew that doing so wouldn't help her predicament.

"Hey," she spoke quietly and tiredly, as if she hadn't just been unconscious. She had, upon closer inspection, dark circles under her eyes. Joey scooted nearer, offering his shoulder in lieu of the scaly tree. Grateful, she leaned her head against his collarbone and closed her eyes. She smiled into his shirt, content for the first time in a long while.

Joey was struck by the idea that he should answer her. "Hey yourself," he breathed, and this time he was the one grinning, although that smile was rapidly replaced by a look of quizzical concern. "You really scared me, what with you telling me you're gonna be alright and then fainting." Hesitant, he took her hands in his, faced her. "Mai, you can tell me anything, don't you know that?" He played with her fingers, then squeezed them tight between his.

He continued, "anything you want, and I'll never hurt you, never deny you. I'd give you the sun and moon and whatever else in the universe you asked me for. I'd give anything for you. And if I couldn't get it, I'd have to die trying." He noted his palms were sweating now, not because of the heat, but because Mai was staring directly at his face, her beautiful eyes perfectly rounded in shock. Oh, God, what if he'd said the wrong thing? She blinked rapidly to rid her eyes of tears forming. When that failed, she withdrew her hands and wiped at them in a desperate manner, startling him with her abruptness.

Mai sat back on her knees, and bowed her head. "Joey, listen, you don't have to- you shouldn't feel that way about me," she told him, woeful, sobbing quietly. "I'm not worthy of it."

Horrified to see her in such distress, Joey pulled her to him. "Mai, of course I have to. I can't stop it." He clutched her shaking form to his chest, kissed her hair. "I love you, more than the rest of the world put together." If he expected her to be soothed by that declaration, her response was less-that-desired. Mai diligently kept her head down and wept harder. Even as he tried to tilt her face up to meet his, she resisted. "Tell me," he pleaded.

"I don't deserve your love because I'm a disgusting, tainted wench," she spat the last word out, finally looked him in the eye. It was more than she could stand to see Joey's unflinching care. He truly did mean all those things. That he could be in love with someone like her was an idea she wanted so much to believe, however damaged she was inside, and how much it could never be true. "You shouldn't want me," she wailed. Yet she allowed him to pull her onto his lap, defeated.

Whilst the couple stayed that way, Kahla curled herself around Erasiel. She licked his crest of feathers to help them dry, until Era hopped away disgruntled. He was too wet to fly, but he flapped his wings to shake the water off himself. When he had done so, he let the shaggy dog lick the side of his face again.

Joey rested his chin on Mai's head. "I'm sorry, but I don't want anyone else," he said, rocking her, whispering promises, nonsensical love words to her in hopes of comforting. But, to his dismay, she wouldn't stop murmuring those heartbreaking words. She didn't hear when he said, "I'll take you to a doctor as soon as we find one. I can't bear seeing you this way."

He waited patiently until she had cried herself to sleep, played with her blonde tresses, grateful that he was holding her. Except her voice clawed at his subconscious.

_I'll never be worthy of your love. _

Well then, he'd just have to show her that love wasn't meant to be weighed against gold. And even if it was, she had more than enough to earn his.


	8. The Wrong Way

Hello dearies! If you've not seen the poll in my profile and voted, you need to. Sadly, I feel I'm losing interest in my stories, and I'd like to get into writing for other fandoms. So I've decided that I will work to finish whichever multichapter story gets the highest number of votes, and the other will be shelved indefinitely.

Disclaimer: Really? Do I even need to tell you I'm not a Japanese man?

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_Sometimes in a blinking eyeAs a second goes byIt's a twist of FateIs all it takes to knowThe underside the flip side of rightLife fulfills the promise that you know_

-- "The Wrong Way" by Darren Hayes

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He heard the indistinct murmur of voices penetrating his sleep, a cacophonous noise that made him want to bury his head further into his pillow.

"Not yet," he groaned. "Just ten more minutes."

"Joey wake up and let go of Mai before she explodes!" That voice sounded like it belonged to Tea. Mai? No, he hadn't seen her in years. This was a soft, warm, oddly shaped pillow. He snuggled closer, content to sink back into blissful-

"Ack!" A sharp pain in his side jolted him awake, crushing his plans of going to sleep again. He blinked opened his eyes to see a blonde woman, who was decidedly _not_ a pillow, but she made for an excellent substitute. "What was that for?"

"What do you mean 'what for'? Tea wasn't kidding when she said you were suffocating me. I had to make you let go of me somehow."

He had the decency to blush. "Guess I don't know my own strength."

"Actually, it was more like you were lying on top of her," Yugi told him, shooting down his pride. Suddenly, the fact that Joey had been reunited with two of his friends dawned on him, and no sooner was he on his feet and wrapping both Yugi and Tea in a crushing embrace. "Joey I can't _breathe." _

"My bad," Joey said. "It's just that I thought you guys might've been dead or something." Then, upon seeing the animals at their feet, asked "Do yours talk too or have I been crazy all this time?"

Tea picked up what looked to be a Siamese cat, except for the feathery plume of a tail, whose diamonded eyes mirrored her own. "This is Tipanomith," she introduced him

The cat purred, in an aristocratic voice. "Tip, if you please. I'm charmed to make your acquaintances."

"He's gorgeous," Mai said in awe, though she never reached out to touch him; something held her back, although she couldn't explain what it was.

"Why thank you, madam."

"Shut up, you." Tea rolled her eyes good-naturedly at Tip's overt politeness. "Besides, Yugi's is even better." She indicated the other animal: a Pegasus with a unicorn's horn. It pranced on its dainty hooves, more like a deer than a horse, flapping its enormous wings with childish glee.

"You've got to be kidding me," Mai blurted.

"I never knew Yugi was a fan of My Little Pony."

Said boy felt his cheeks flaming at the ribbing from his best friend. Yugi, being Yugi, smiled brightly anyway and told them her name was Ayra. She didn't speak, unlike Tip. Rather, she bowed so her horn touched the sand. At this point, Tea pointed out that they needed to find food and more importantly, water.

"We came from over there," Tea pointed to the right of where they were grouped, "and we didn't see a sign of civilization."

Mai shook her head. "Beats me; I woke up here but I didn't feel up to walking around. Joey?"

He shrugged. "I started from the left, but there was nothing that I could see."

"I guess this means we head into the jungle," Yugi. His statement was met with groans of despair.

The angel saw her target walking along the shoreline with a red-headed girl. Lyra Belacqua-Silvertongue. She glided down swiftly, dimming the bright glow of her humanoid form so as not to burn their eyes. Lyra stood there watching, looking mildly concerned, yet otherwise intrepid. The other girl was shocked out of her wits, clutching her daemon to her chest like a child with a doll. The angel faced Lyra.

"Lyra Silvertongue?" The young woman nodded in confirmation.

"It's good to see you again, Xaphania," said Lyra calmly, despite the nerves that were beginning to twist in her stomach. Serenity shifted her eyes from the glowing figure of Xaphania to the fair-haired girl beside her. Myrdhan peeked out from behind her hair shyly.

Xaphania spoke first. "I wish I were able to say the same, dear child. I'm afraid we shall require your help once again."

Lyra's eyes widened and Pantalaimon's fur bristled in distressed excitement. "Again? But the worlds are closed…aren't they?"

"A window has been opened," Xaphania informed her, then "Are you certain the boy broke the knife?"

"Of course he did! How dare you suggest Will is anything less than honest!" Lyra nearly spat, livid at the thought of even an angel calling her love a liar. (And this was true; Will didn't have a deceitful bone in his body). But her indignation faded into bewilderment when the truth sank in. The only way to open worlds lay in the power of the knife…or _intercision_-that monstrous severing of souls from their bodies. Lyra's quick mind suddenly leapt into play, and she understood. "So I've got to find Will," she breathed. "Is that right?" Xaphania nodded.

Serenity noticed that Lyra was brimming with happiness at the mere idea. Whoever this boy was, he obviously meant very much to her newfound companion. But there was no time to ask about her relationship with him now, most of all because the angel now faced Serenity herself directly.

"You play a part in this as well. It was your world's technology that opened the window between your world and this one. Not only that, it is worse than we feared. The pathways have not been cut. They have been shattered." Now it was Lyra's turn to look confused as Serenity blinked, mouth gaping.

"Kaiba's new project," she whispered, mainly to herself, "what has he done?" She whimpered and covered her face with her hands. Myrdhan nuzzled her cheek, comforting as best he could.

He said, "Right now isn't the time to get upset, dear love. Right now we need to understand what's going on and how we can help fix it."

Xaphania was leveling her gaze on the young girl sympathetically. She had no real blame in this mess but she could play a part in helping to clean it up, as her daemon had stated. "It's impossible for us to close the windows until they are repaired. That is your duty."

"The Dust!" Lyra exclaimed, startling the others, "and the Spectors. What of them?"

The angel's next words drew a sigh of relief from Lyra. "Fortunately, the Dust flow has remained consistent as far as we know. And the Spectors have been dealt with. Not to worry, child. Although…" There was guilty hesitation in her voice, though, and Lyra caught in easily.

"Go on," she pushed

"I regret to say that a new pocked of abyss has opened with the explosion."

Lyra cursed under her breath. They had to get to Will fast. She recalled what the ocean had been like when she'd found Serenity washed up on the beach. Turning to the other girl, she asked, "The window was in the middle of the ocean, wasn't it?"

"Yes. My friends and I were on a ship and it capsized. We were on a faulty lifeboat and ended up hitting some invisible wall that shattered. And I ended up here Kaiba was preparing us for traveling to another dimension, but I never knew what to expect."

Lyra realized they would need to go to the docks to secure a boat in order to find the world-gate. First, though, she had to do as she promised and help Serenity find her friends. The more people to help, the better. And as the angel had said, they too were a part of this.

"Xaphania," she began. The angel, knowing, took Lyra and Serenity's hands in her own. She felt cool to the touch, yet there was a faint warmth emitting from her light. Before the girls knew what had happened, the two of them were in a hallway covered in white from ceiling to floor. _A hospital,_ thought Serenity. She had been in them enough to recognize one, even in a different world. Lyra, on the other hand, turned her head curiously whilst Pan sniffed the air. Xaphania was nowhere to be found.

"Why are--yipes!" Lyra shouted as she was interrupted by a nurse with a coati daemon steering a food cart nearly bumping into her. She watched the lady sourly as she stepped out of the way.

"Excuse me, young miss." The nurse apologized. They watched her come to a halt at a door a few rooms down the hall, from which a brown-haired girl with a cat daemon appeared in the doorway.

"Tea!" Serenity almost broke into a run at the sight of the familiar face.

"Your friend?" Lyra inquired, following after Serenity. When they stood beside Tea, Serenity promptly threw her arms around the slightly shorter girl. Myrdhan jumped to the ground to link his tail with the cat.

Serenity gestured at Lyra, "She's been helping me look for you guys."

The girl and the cat, upon closer inspection both had startling blue eyes. The chocolate brown on her daemon's feet and tail matched the color of her hair too. She smiled brightly at Lyra. "Nice to meet you," the girl called Tea offered her hand to Lyra, which the other girl shook briefly. "I'm Tea and the cat's name is Tip."

"Likewise, I'm sure. Name's Lyra Silvertongue. My daemon's name is Pantalaimon, Pan for short."

"Is that what these talking animals are called, daemons?"

"Yeah, in this world your soul manifests itself as an animal outside of your body. Usually the opposite gender of you, although sometimes not," Serenity said, merely shrugging when Tea blinked confusedly. "That's the gist of what Lyra told me anyway."

For a moment, Serenity had almost forgotten to ask precisely why they were in a hospital to begin with, until she heard a high-pitched yell coming from inside the room, followed by "Yow! Jesus, Mai!"

"Tea, what's going on? Is someone hurt?"

She shook her head and her mouth twisted into an amused grimace. "Not exactly. Mai fainted again so Joey made her promise to come to a doctor as soon as we hit civilization." Now she tugged on Serenity's elbow and motioned for Lyra to come along. "Let's go in before they do anymore damage to each other. Mai's been just a little moody," she muttered, scratching her head.

The three girls filed in the door with their daemons in their arms or wrapped around their neck (as was the case with Pantalaimon). No sooner had Serenity herself entered the room when she felt herself being enveloped in a crushing, yet warm, embrace.

"Hello, Tristan," she squeaked, beaming at the dark-haired male in such a way that made his face color cherry red. He stepped back to create a more polite distance of space between them. Serenity noticed that his daemon was a large brown dog with erect ears. Myrr jumped out of her arms and anbled over to touch noses with it.

The tawny-haired girl raised an eyebrow as she looked from Tristan to his dog daemon, as though he were the butt of a joke he didn't know about. "A daemon with the same sex as its human is a rare sight."

"Is it supposed to mean anything?" Tristan seemed uncomfortable from the way Lyra was looking at him.

She made a face, then her lips twisted into a wry smirk. "Only if you think it does."

He smiled back, still weary, but relieved now and clearly more at ease with Lyra now that he knew she was joking. "He calls himself Ro. I don't know if that's his nickname or what. But it's all he'll give me."

"Mai, let go before you rip my hair off!" Serenity turned around, saw what the commotion was about. Mai had her brother's hair in a rather painful-looking death grip, even as he tried in vain to pull her hands away, whimpering. Mai had a good few of the dark gold strands in her fingers. Serenity stood agape, watching them along with Tristan, Tea and Lyra, all of whom wore shocked expressions.

When Mai saw them, she dropped her hand to the side, looking sheepish but also fuming with anger. Joey's mouth was agape, stupefied, as if he couldn't understand what in the world had caused Mai to take such leave of her senses. Serenity decided that was a very good question.

"I can't believeyou'd come in here while I'm getting dressed, pervert!"

Oh. That was why.

"I didn't _mean_ to walk in on you changing, Mai!"

"Of course you didn't!" Mai sneered.

"I swear it. And anyway, did you really have to go and pull my hair like that?" Joey looked at her quite pitifully, rubbing his head. Mai just crossed her arms and huffed in response.

"Joey, you're a teenager! How can you expect me to believe for a minute that you never thought of looking at a girl undressing?!"

"Alright, maybe I have thought about that," Joey admitted, obviously trying to placate the woman. "But I'm not so perverted I'd go walking into rooms on purpose. I came back from getting a soda and you weren't there. So I got worried you might've left and went looking for you."

At his last remark, Mai softened a bit. Grudgingly, she accepted his apology. "Just don't let it happen again," she muttered, a fleeting smile gracing her pink lips.

There was a soft knock on the door. "Is everything alright in here?" And a dark-skinned, petite woman in her late thirties entered the room. She was carrying an clipboard and her hair was cut pixie short. "Miss Valentine?" Mai wiggled her fingers to indicate her presence. "Ah, Good to meet you" she said, in a raspy African accent, proffering her hand to shake. "I'm Dr. Taego. I'd like to speak to you, so if the rest could step outside for a second, that'd be great."

The rest of the group shuffled out into the hallway, but remained close enough to hear the conversation going on inside.

"We're awful- this is eavesdropping on Mai's private information," Serenity hissed.

"But we'd never know what was wrong with her if we didn't," pointed out Tristan. "Right, Joey?"

The teenager bit his lip. "Right." Although he didn't like the idea of listening in any more than his baby sister, he had to know what Mai was hiding all this time.

Dr. Taego's voice was barely audible or understandable. "…dehydrated, but that's easily fixed, and lacking in prenatal nutrients…about 2 months along…"

**Prenatal. 2 months along. **Couldn't possibly be…

"…pregnant." Mai's voice, pained, and ringing perfectly loud.

Joey had learned enough, and before he was able to stop himself, he was tearing down the corridor to the nearest exit, unheeding of Tristan's protests. The door closed, a quiet thump. But he was too caught up in his own pain to register. Shocked, he walked to the corner of the hospital building, out of sight, and tried to allay the pain he felt in his chest. Mai had someone else. But why hadn't she told him? Why flirt with him, touch him, make him believe that maybe, hopefully, she had come back to him if she wasn't? "Fuck my life," he choked on tears.

Refusing to let them fall, he punched the concrete wall behind him so hard he thought he might have jammed his knuckles. There was a sick gratification in watching his hand come back bloody. Kahla whimpered empathetically, licking his injured hand. He'd loved her always, damnit, and from the minute she had returned to him, he'd loved her all over again. More than ever. And he loved her now, still, no matter how much he wished he could hate her.

His train of thought was interrupted by the scuffling of Yugi sliding down the wall to join him, his alicorn daemon curled up near Kahlilia. For a moment, his friend merely took one of Joey's hands in both of his and squeezed hard. "I heard what happened. I'm sorry."

"Nothing that was your fault." He smiled at Yugi ruefully, grateful for his comfort. "I was stupid to think she wanted me."

Yugi shook his head so fiercely that his bangs flew in his face. "No! Joey, listen to me," his nails were digging into the backs of Joey's wrists. Yugi, who almost never raised his voice, spoke passionately. "You have done more for Mai than anyone. I may not know her that well or understand everything about what you've gone through together, but I see the way she looks at you."

Joey wrenched his hands away, shocking Yugi in his bitterness, burying his face in his hands. "How can you tell?" Muted, broken words.

"It's hard to miss," the boy said simply, head falling back with a soft 'thud' against the wall. He tilted his face to the sky. "And besides, it might not be what you think. There has to be a reason she came back to you, Joey. Look at it that way."

"You're right, I'm being stupid," Joey brushed the dirt off his jeans as he rose to his feet. "She needs me, even if she doesn't want me the way I want her. I promised her I'd do anything for her and I'm not going back on that promise now, especially not with a kid at stake." He suddenly appeared sick. "God, a baby…"

"She's lucky to have somebody like you," said Yugi, firm and warm. "So am I, for that matter."

A corner of his lips quirked upward. "I do what I can."

________________________________________________________________________

I was going to make this longer, but I'm glad now that I decided to cut it here. Otherwise there wouldn't have been an update for a looooong time. Unfortunately, this might be the last update for a while. Thanks for following the story, and please take time to review. Feedback makes me happy. :3


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